Pocket Arcade Assembly Instructions

Overview:

The following is a step by step video guide to assembling your Pocket Arcade. The full written instructions are posted below. Have fun!

Unpacking

Upon opening your new Pocket Arcade, you'll want to make sure that you have the following:

Nine (9) pieces of Acrylic (with protective paper covering)

The circuit board with an integrated screen and processor

A set of buttons

A hardware kit (containing four screws and four nuts)

Lithium-Polymer battery

Speaker

A lanyard Strap

Electronics Assembly

The first step will be to assemble the electronic components and give them a quick test. Start by connecting the battery to the connector labeled "BATT". The speaker connector is the same size and shape, so make sure to not mix them up. Plug the speaker into the connector on the processor board labeled "SPKR".

Don't worry if you get the two different connectors mixed up. Plugging the battery into the speaker connector or the speaker into the battery connector won't damage anything.

Give the electronics a quick test by switching on the power. You should see the screen light up with the TinyCircuits logo, then move to the pre-loaded games menu. Use the joystick to scroll between the games. Tiny Shooteris a great game for quickly testing all of the controls. Use the left push button to select the game, and the right push button to insert a coin and start the game. Push the directional pad in each direction and watch the spacecraft to ensure that the up, down, left, and right controls all function. Push the right push button to fire the lasers, and listen for the sound effects. If you don't hear anything, check that the audio switch is in the ON position and that the speaker connector is fully inserted. If the speaker seems quiet, don't worry; it will be louder once it's inside the acrylic case.

NOTE:

We test each and every Pocket Arcade thoroughly before shipping to ensure all parts are functional. This test is to make sure you have everything connected properly.

The Silkscreen for the Volume Control Switch is backwards. When in the "OFF" position, the sound is actually on.

Acrylic Preparation

With the electronics functioning properly, we can prepare the acrylic. The Acrylic comes with a protective paper coating. Peel back the paper from both sides to reveal the crystal clear acrylic parts.

Full Assembly

Now that you have the electronics ready, and the acrylic prepared, we will begin assembling. Start by peeling the protective film off of the screen.

Next, place the button holder layer on the front of the circuit board. You can tell it apart from the top layer because the buttons will fall straight through this layer. They will not fit completely through the top layer.

Next, place the buttons in their spots. Make sure that the flat sides of the buttons are facing the circuit board.

Now it's time to put the top layer on, over the buttons.

Place the four (4) screws down through the top two layers and the circuit board.

Flip it over to the back. Pushing the battery and speaker towards the middle of the board makes the next steps a bit easier.

Identify the first back layer. You can tell them from the other split layer because these have very short overhangs on the bottom to clear the switches and SD card slot. Place them onto the screws and slide them against the circuit board.

Next, peel the white backing off of the speaker to expose the adhesive. Stick the speaker onto the circuit board in the flat, clear spot where there are no components.

Find the other split layer, place them on the screws and slide them against the previous layer.

Next, place the two hollow layers onto the screws. They are both the same.

Finally, place the back piece onto the screws, and finish it off with the four nuts. You can tighten the nuts with your fingernails or with the small wrench included. Don't overtighten them though! The acrylic could crack if the nuts are too tight.

Now you're ready to play some games!

Going Further:

With your Pocket Arcade assembled, you can enjoy the preloaded games, download our latest game releases for free from our website, or use our online tutorial to learn how to develop your very own game! The Pocket Arcade will recharge the Lithium Polymer battery when the USB is plugged in, this is a standard Micro USB B type connector.